Rossifari Podcast - Zoos, Aquariums, and Animal Conservation

Today, the Safari heads back to New England to spend some time with Dani Poirier, the curator of birds and training at Southwick's Zoo in Massachusetts!  We talk a lot about birds, bird conservation, and, of course, bird poop! Dani brings an incredible passion and energy to the podcast, and I'm so grateful for her taking the time to do this interview despite being in the final planning s...

Today, the Safari heads back to Chattanooga, Tennessee, to talk to Autumn Lindey, a keeper in the desert region of the zoo.  You'll get to hear all about Sophie, an adorable fennec fox I got to snuggle; why rock hyraxes eat flowers; what makes sand cats so awesome; and how meerkats structure their societies.  You'll also earn a new level of respect for naked mole rats!  Check out Autumn...

Come for the rats that play basketball, and stay for the penguin conservation facts as I bring you an interview with Katie Propp, who works at Penguins International! In this episode, we talk about the incredible in situ conservation efforts being undertaken by Penguins International, and have a long conversation about reasons to have hope for the future of animal conservation!  Katie is not only...

Today, the Safari is back in the state of Washington for a conversation with the one, the only, Jungle Jordan! Along with being a zookeeper, Jordan has built quite the impressive digital brand on all the major platforms @junglejordan23 . His videos, photos, and live online conversations are making a huge impact for conservation, and helping educate people of all ages about amazing animals that can...

Today, the Safari heads to Limestone, TN, to visit Bright's Zoo! I sit down with David Bright, who runs the zoo along with his family, and Maggie, the lead keeper at the zoo.  The day started with an incredible tour of the zoo, meeting a red panda, getting some feisty binturong attention, and seeing an animal I've never even heard of, the adorable tayra.  After that, we sat down for an a...

Today, the Safari is heading to a different kind of zoo...a dead zoo! No, I don't mean a closed zoo...I mean the Gray Fossil Site in Gray, Tennessee.  I'm bringing you an interview with Dr. Steven Wallace, a paleontologist and geologist who brings the perspective of time to the conservation efforts that are currently being undertaken all around the world!  In this interview you will get...

Today, the Safari heads to Knoxville, Tennessee! I'm bringing you a chat with Tiffany James, a great ape keeper at Zoo Knoxville, and it's a really fun one!  Tiffany came in to this episode with one mission: to make me fall in love with her apes.  She succeeded, and you're all going to fall in love with them as well.  This episode was done in person, so you'll get a great sit d...

Today, the Safari heads up north to Providence, Rhode Island, to visit Roger Williams Park Zoo!  I interview Lou Perrotti, the Director of Conservation Programs at RWPZ, and he goes deep on some of the conservation efforts he is involved with through the zoo.  You'll learn about three projects in great detail, that deal with the conservation of less charismatic species, and why that is so imp...

Today, the Safari stops in Chattanooga, Tennessee, for not one, not two, but THREE keeper chats!  I got to visit the brand new giraffe barn at the zoo to talk to Amy about the giraffes at the zoo, then headed to the callitrichid building to talk to Kate about those adorable new world monkeys.  Finally, I got to swing by the Himalayan section to visit with Betsy and a few of my favorites, the red p...

Today, the Safari heads up to Queeche, VT, to the Vermont Institute of Natural Sciences, better known as VINS!  VINS is an awesome raptor rehab center that does amazing educational work as well!  In this interview, I talk to two people who work at the center, Grae O'Toole and Anna Morris. You'll also get to hear from a few of the birds at the center, one of whom is quite chatty!  You can...

Today, the Safari heads to Wheeling, West Virginia, to talk to Zoo Director Dr. Joe Greathouse.  Dr. Joe is an incredibly intelligent and driven person who keeps science and conservation at the forefront of every decision he makes for his zoo.  This episode not only talks about a lot of the cool animals at The Good Zoo, but also talks about some of the incredible conservation efforts being underta...

Today the Safari sits put as we go to part two of my interview with Kara McSweeney! We continue talking about conservation, learning about cool hoofstock, and take multiple tangents from the original conversation! You'll also get to learn why Kara may leave the zookeeping field to become a film double for Emma Watson!   Check out Kara on Insta @karamc3   Check out www.rossifari.com, patreon.c...

The Safari goes to a top secret location today to speak to hoofstock keeper and awesome human Kara McSweeney.  Over the next two episodes, Kara will talk about her travels all around the world on her quest to learn about and participate in conservation projects, what her career as a zookeeper has been like, and why she loves hoofstock, and often less appreciated type of animal found in zoos.   Che...

Today, the Safari makes a return trip to The Nashville Zoo at Grassmere to speak to Jawnie Payne (@zookeeperjawnie)! Jawnie is an outreach specialist keeper who works closely with Jake Belair, the first guest on the podcast! We discuss her career path, some of the incredible animals she takes care of, her caracal kittens that are taking the world by storm, and more!  We also get into a discussion...

The Safari heads to one of my favorite zoos in the country today, the Cincinnati Zoo, to talk to Colleen Adams all about the amazing ambassador animals in her collection! Colleen is an incredibly passionate and well spoken individual who fills the episode with personal stories about her interactions with the animals she loves so dearly.  The Animal Ambassador Center at Cincy is brimming with incre...

The Safari continues to visit Beardsley Zoo in Connecticut, where we talk all things Amur leopards and Amur tigers with two keepers who take care of these incredible and rare animals, Bethany Thatcher and Chris Barker!  Chris and Bethany have really different personalities, but one thing they have in common is a deep love for their animals! Get ready for some interesting facts, fun stories, and a...

The safari heads to Beardsley Zoo, the only AZA accredited zoo in Connecticut, to talk to JT Warner about the maned wolves that live there. This episode starts a little differently, as I spend some time giving you an introduction to this incredible and beautiful species.  JT then comes in to tell us more details about the species, and the specific individuals that live at Beardsley.  There may eve...

DISCOUNT CODE! When you use code 'rossifari' on Kaitlyn's website or Etsy, you'll get 20% off! The Safari heads back to San Diego to visit with graphic designer Kaitlyn Graham, an incredible artist who donates a portion of her proceeds to conservation charities.  Her animal art is incredible!  Kaitlyn also works in admissions at the San Diego Zoo, and has some entertaining stor...

The Safari heads across the border to The Toronto Zoo to discuss what the Species Survival Plan of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums looks like from a keeper's perspective.  I talk to Lisa Termini, a keeper in the Eurasia Wilds section, all about the decision by the AZA to bring Ila and Suva, two red pandas, to the zoo in the hopes of breeding them. What's it like for the pandas? Wha...

DISCOUNT CODE!!!!  Mieko Temple, the artist and animal nutritionist who is featured in this episode (and the last one) is proud to offer 20% off to fans of this podcast when you purchase her art! Just use promo code ROSSIFARI at checkout!   This episode features a deep dive into the world of animal nutrition with Mieko Temple, a grad student who has spent time doing work with the animals at the Sa...

Content Warning: No, there is nothing inappropriate in this one, but I want you all to know that it is about to get REAL nerdy up in here!  This episode features a deep dive into the world of animal nutrition with Mieko Temple, a grad student who has spent time doing work with the animals at the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park! You'll learn about what goes into customizing animal...

This episode, the Safari heads back home for a little bit! I spend time talking to Laura Houston, the Director of Education at Elmwood Park Zoo in Norristown, PA, right by where I live. You'll hear some great stories about ambassador animals and a new otter, but you'll also get some insight into a lot of the stuff that happens in zoo administration! You can check out Elmwood Park Zoo onl...

How much of an impact can one animal make at a zoo?  Especially a small animal tucked away in the back corner of said zoo?  Well, today the Safari heads to Zoo Atlanta in Georgia to find out exactly that.  I sit down with Danica Wolfe to discuss the life and impact of Idgie the red panda, who lived at ZooAtl for many years, becoming both a fan favorite and an incredible ambassador for her species....

The Safari stays Nashville to continue to chat with Melinda Kommavongsa, a quarantine and veterinary team keeper at the Nashville Zoo! For those of you who have been waiting for some really nerdy conversations about red pandas, this episode starts with a bang!  This interview was so packed with information, I decided to split it into two parts, so this is part two of two!  Remember to check out ww...

The Safari heads back down to Nashville to chat with Melinda Kommavongsa, a quarantine and veterinary team keeper at the Nashville Zoo! We discuss Melinda's path to becoming a zookeeper, and she shares all kinds of cool animal stories from her time on the ambassador animal show team and then in her new position, which allows her to work with almost every animal at the zoo!  This interview was...